We Are Young: Marcus
by karrajoa
Summary: Marcus is struggling with a guilty Claire while his mother is never home. He get's along with his siblings, but when you throw in a bonding over football and a surprising discovery life isn't easy. Wanting to do his best, Marcus needs to figure out what he values and who is worth caring about.


**A/N: And here we go! Marcus' chapter^^ I'm still busy with settling into school, but I've found the time to write this, and btw sorry for writing Markus in the last chapter, that's the most common way to write the name in my language (Norwegian) so I guess I screwed up a bit… But it's written the right way now! **

**Read and leave me a review! I'm open for any suggestions, especially on who you want in the next chapter (after Marcus' three parts) and any and all theories on what you think are going to happen next.**

**We Are Young**

Marcus – Part 1

_Now I know that I'm not__  
__All that you got__  
__I guess that I, I just thought__  
__Maybe we could find new ways to fall apart__  
__But our friends are back__  
__So let's raise a glass__  
__'Cause I found someone to carry me home_

_We Are Young - Fun_

%&%&%&

"Marcus! Marcus, you have to get up!"

Marcus turned around in bed, snuggling a bit into it, ignoring the voice of his brother trying to wake him up.

"You have to get up now, or you'll be late!"

Marcus opened his eyes and turned back around to face his brother.

"Now get up, we'll be leaving in half an hour," Mathew told his brother before he left the room.

Marcus groaned and slowly got up from his bed before he left his room and made his way to the bathroom.

Forty-five minutes later his brother dropped him off by the college.

"Remember mum get's home tonight!" Mathew reminded him as he was about to go.

"Yeah, I know. See ya later!" he told both of his siblings in the car. Mathew was taking their little sister Mandy to her school before he went to university.

Marcus walked up to the college and found Claire sitting just outside by a table.

"You okay?" he asked a bit worried, she didn't look like her normal self.

"Mmm, I dunno…" she trailed off and looked at her feet for a moment. "You haven't heard anything about Connor, have you?"

Marcus shook his head and signed for her to follow him, he had football practice in a short while and he had to change.

"I just… He disappeared after he came to my place and asked me out. I just couldn't say yes," she told him, sounding a bit desperate to rid herself of the blame, even if people hadn't blamed her at all. He had a feeling that she was blaming herself.

"Hey, you have enough on your plate. If you told the other's they wouldn't blame you! They know it's not your fault, he's just stupid."

"Hey guys!" a female voice rang through the hall.

The two of them turned around and at the end of the hall were Delilah was, trying to catch up with them. They let her catch up before they started walking again.

"Hi," Claire smiled at the other girl.

Neither of them were the type to have many friends, and especially girl friends, but they somehow managed to cope well with each other and Marcus were there most of the time to break up any fights that would arise between them.

"Hey, I'm heading to French," Delilah told.

"Me too," Clair answered. "You have football, right?"

"Yeah, I should probably hurry up, it starts in ten minutes and I have to change," Marcus declared before he went off to the changing rooms.

"So, have you been ill or something? I haven't seen you around the last days," Claire asked.

"Oh yeah, I had a fever and stuff, but I'm better now," Delilah brushed her off.

"Oh yeah, that's good," Claire smiled.

"Claire! Lila! Hurry up, or else you'll be late for French!"

%&%&%&

"I just need to tell you guys that I'm not home for another few days…" after the simple announcement on his phone Marcus didn't really listen in. He sighed to himself, it was Friday and he was just finished for the day, waiting for the bus home.

As Marcus put down his phone mobile again the bus came and he stepped on and took a seat in the back, before he took up his mobile one again, an idea forming in his head.

He dialed a number and waited for an answer.

"Hey, you heard mum's message, right?" He got a yes from his brother on the other end. "So that means no one home but us three, how about inviting some friends over?" he asked, smirking a bit to himself.

%&%&%&

Once again the doorbell rang and he went to open the door.

This time it was Harry, Louis and a face that made Marcus kind of relieved. Behind the other two boys was Connor. He looked like he had a bruise, but other than that he looked okay.

"Come on in," he told the other boys and let them inside the house. "Some of the other's in the drawing room," Marcus said and led them further inside.

The party wasn't started yet, only a few of Mandy's friends, a couple of Mathew's friends and most of their gang had arrived, if you could really call them a gang.

An hour and a half and the place would be busy as ever.

Marcus watched Claire's face closely as they entered the drawing room and as she noticed Connor there with the rest of them her face became a mix of guilt and relief. After a few moments she looked away, more interested in her shoes than Connor and the others.

His attention was pulled away from Claire as Mathew entered the room, carrying a couple of vodka bottles in each hand and one of his friends followed with bottles of soda to mix with.

Marcus went to find a stack of plastic cups and handed one to each, letting them all fix their drinks their selves.

"Cheers!" he exclaimed and started gulping down a mix of vodka and soda that tasted a bit weird.

%&%&%&

"Hey!" Marcus said loudly, trying to be louder than the music.

"Marcus," Leilah looked up from her phone, sounding a bit surprised.

"Whatcha doing?" he asked her as he sat down in the free seat next to her. Most of the others in the house were dancing and she was left alone in the couch.

"Oh, I'm sure it wouldn't interest you," she told him, taking another sip of her drink.

"It didn't look like you were having a lot of fun at least," he commented. He didn't know Leilah well, but during the little time he had spent with her he had learned that she was pretty quiet and didn't fit perfectly into the party scene as a lot of their gang did.

"Actually I was," she told him, looking straight at him now. "There are just different kinds of fun."

"So playing a game on your phone while everyone else's dancing is fun?" Marcus asked, not quite convinced.

"I wasn't playing any game, for your information."

"Then what were you up to?" he asked, more interested now. So maybe he was nosy, but he was trying to be nice too, wasn't he?

"You'll think it's nerdy," she brushed him off.

"No, please, go on," he smiled at her.

For a minute it looked like she was trying to decide whether or not to tell him. "Okay, but you can't laugh, okay. Basically, it's this thing called fanfiction… It's where whoever wants to makes their own story out of an already existing history, like for example Harry Potter. And then they post it online and people can read it and comment on it," she explained.

"That's a bit… random…" Marcus replied, trying to understand what Leilah had just told him. "And that's fun? Reading it?"

"Yeah."

"Anyway, you're going to dance with me, right now!" he declared and put down his drink on the table before he got up from his seat and dragged Leilah towards the dancing crowd with him.

As he started moving he could see that she wasn't in her element, but she was doing okay, even though she looked a bit uncomfortable squashed between the other dancing bodies.

After dancing for a while Marcus started making his way out of the crowd. He was warm and sweaty, and he needed some air. Leilah followed him, not wanting to be left alone with the dancing crowd.

They went outside into Marcuse's backyard after getting a drink each.

Arriving in the backyard the first thing Leilah noticed was the football goal.

"Wow, this is great," she commented as she put down her drink and fetched the football lying in the grass by the goal.

"I play a lot," Marcus shrugged. "It's nice to not have to go to the field every time I feel like practicing. Do you play?"

"Not really, but it can fun every now and then," she smiled at him. "Nothing serious though, just playing around."

"That's cool," Marcus told her.

Smiling, Leilah put the football down a fair length away from the goal and taking a few steps she kicked it and made a goal.

Marcus cheered a bit and laughed.

"Now you go," she insisted after she had picked up the ball and put it down at the right place.

"No, no way. I've had too much to drink," he told her with a laugh.

"Come on, it's just for fun," she told him with a grin.

"Okay, maybe once," he agreed before blocking out everything, taking a few steps and kicking the ball the best he managed in his state. It hit the goal, but if he had been sober he wouldn't have been happy with the shot.

"That wasn't too bad," Leilah told him before she went in for another kick.

"Yeah, but if there had been a keeper there it would have failed," Marcus commented before he picked up his drink from the ground and leant against a tree, watching as Leilah kicked several times in a row.

After a while she discarded her cardigan and threw it over the goal.

Marcus squinted and focused on her arms. She had a lot of rather bad looking scars on both arms.

He put down his drink again and moved closer until he was touching her arm.

As he touched her Leilah jumped, not expecting it.

He looked questioning at her. Letting a few fingers run along her arm from her shoulder and down to her hand, he felt the scars, carefully to not hurt her. Some were still more red and fresh than the others.

Suddenly, Leilah pulled her arm back against herself and tucked both against her chest before she turned and reached for her cardigan, putting it on and only turning to look at Marcus pleadingly for a moment before she went inside to the crowd again.

Marcus rubbed his face with both hands before he took a large gulp of his rink and sat down on the ground, not caring if it was a bit damp.

He didn't like this. He didn't like this one bit.

%&%&%&

Waking up, Marcus found Claire in the bed next to him and Louis was curled up by their feet.

He stretched out to his full length before he got up from his bed and left the others in his room, heading down the stairs to find the rest of the gang spread around the living room along with a few of Mathew's mates.

Entering the kitchen he made himself a cup of tea and went outside to sit in the backyard.

He sat down on the still wet grass and pulled his legs into a cross. In his mind he played over the events that had taken place there the night before, trying to remember how the scars had felt on his fingers.

"You okay?" the worried voice of his brother asked from behind him.

Marcus opened his eyes again in time to see his brother sit down beside him.

"Yeah, I just… Last night I found out something about a friend and I don't know what to do," he shook his head. He was pretty sure Leilah didn't want anyone to know, she just hadn't though when taking of her cardigan.

Mathew watched his brother sit there with a mixed expression on his face.

"You care, right?" he asked his little brother.

"Of course I do, she's a friend. I don't think she wants anyone to know though," Marcus shrugged. He was completely clueless.

"Well, I guess you have to do what you think is right," Mathew told him with an encouraging smile. Even though he was loud and awkward most of the time he had a piece of advice every now and then.

"What are you guys doing out here?!" Mandy called from the door.

Mathew got up from the ground and held out a hand to help Marcus up and they went inside together.


End file.
